


Bear and wolf

by randomisedmongoose



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Loss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-30
Updated: 2017-12-30
Packaged: 2019-02-24 06:41:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13208139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/randomisedmongoose/pseuds/randomisedmongoose
Summary: Trinket mourns, and goes to find someone who may understand.





	Bear and wolf

His Vex cries a lot. Trinket doesn’t know what to do but lick her face and nuzzle her. She hangs on to his fur and wails, and he puts his large paws around her and whines. Luckily, the man who smells like sadness, iron and lightning bolts seems to be able to calm her down. Days later, she says the words and makes the gesture that change her voice from people-speak to bear-speak. She tells him that Vax has left and won’t be coming back.

“Why?” Trinket says, and regrets it, because it makes her cry again. When she tries to explain, he doesn’t understand. In the end, she simply says that he’s died, and no-one can bring him back again.

“Okay.”

“Will you be alright, buddy? Are you very sad?”

“Yes,” he says, simply, and she cries again.

That night, he leaves his Vex. She is safe with her mate for now. Trinket lumbers out of the castle and out into the woods. He sits down in a clearing and waits. The stars move across the sky, slow as snails.

The wolf makes no sound as it pads up to him.

Bear-speak and wolf-speak are not the same, but there is a kinship in being hunters that brings with it a sort of clarity in communication. Besides, there is always Hedgerow.

Galdric sniffs the night air. **No fear. No danger.** He sniffs again. **Sadness?**

Trinket puts his snout in his paws and whines. **Loss.**

The wolf turns his steady gaze on Trinket. **Feather-dark-sharp-quick man?**

**Gone. Dark-sleep-forever feather woman.**

The wolf huffs.

**Loss. Old. Feather-dark-smile-sneak man.**

Trinket butts his head against Galdric. The wolf licks him across the nose.

They lay in silence, side by side. Trinket thinks about pink ribbons and chocolate and sleeping in people-beds. He doesn’t know what Galdric thinks about.

 **Hurts.** Trinket shakes his head and makes sad bear sounds.

Galdric puts his head on Trinket's front paws. **Run, danger. Hunt, danger. Fight, danger. Lose-find-lose-find pack. Season-season-season, hurt small.**

Trinket considers this.

**Forget?**

Galdric lays his ears back and growls. **Never!**

Trinket agrees. **Never.**

They lay still again.

**Moon.**

Trinket looks up. The moon has risen and is bathing the forest in an eerie blue light. Galdric stands up and shakes himself off.

**Hunt?**

Trinket gets up as well. **Hunt.**

The wolf and the bear walk slowly into the forest, side by side.


End file.
